Mons
Mons is a little and beautiful town of 92,000 inhabitants, situated at the heart of a built-up area of 250,000 inhabitants. It is Wallonia’s 3rd town and also the main administrative and legal centre of the Province of Hainaut. It is a major university centre with more than 10,000 students. E19 and E42 motorways cross and the North of the city, allowing you to go anywhere you want in Europe.
Hitchhiking out
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South direction Paris, Lille
To leave Mons you will need to find a lift to the first service area on the A7 called "Texaco Mons-Paris" in Saint-Ghislain (west of Mons). You have two possibilities:
- The best place to use a sign would be near the parking lot of the Brico Plan-it (a DIY shop).
- You can also use the public transport to go to the service area. Take the bus 14 to the "TERTRE Route de Tournai" stop then take south to the "Rue de la Rivièrette". Turn right at the path which crosses this road (just after the river but before the roundabout), it will lead you to the service area. It's a 14-minute walk.
North direction Brussels
The best way is probably by going to the Grands Prés, and look for a car there, because elsewhere would be kind of dangerous.
Another possibility is to take the motorway in Havré. Many cars on "Chaussée du Roeulx" are taking this motorway and some will tank up at the petrol station of the Delhaize supermarket. This petrol station is about 30 minutes walking from the Grand'Place. You walk down "Rue d'Havré", then carry straight on, pass the hospital St Joseph and a school, turn left (Rue Fariaux) and right (Avenue de l'Hopital) and then straight on.
Then once you've entered the motorway, you should stop at the first petrol station, which is big enough and where you shouldn't have any trouble getting a direct ride to Brussels.